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Monday, July 25, 2011

36 patch quilt along, week 3

Welcome to week 3 of the quilt along. How are your blocks coming along? I hope you are having fun making them! I know I am still enjoying them, even after making half a quilt's worth. I sure love me some 2" squares!

Here are my 6 new blocks for the week. I went on a bit of a pink bender, as you can see. :) And my blocks continue to be QUITE busy.

This block is kind of a "thrifty" block. I only had 16 squares of the small pink polka dot fabric, but I REALLY wanted to use them, so I substituted in two blocks of a large pink polka dot fabric to fill in the holes. It's my little testement to "making do"...and in the mix of the whole quilt it shouldn't stick out too much.

Here are all the blocks I have made so far playing together. I like it quite a lot!

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Have you ever fancied yourself a fabric designer? Did you see that Connecting Threads is holding a fabric design contest? My husband has been telling me for years that I should turn some of my drawings into fabric. I'm not sure if I have the guts to put my stuff out there, but I'm thinking about trying to work something up. (you know, it all my spare time, ha!) Maybe you need the nudge to do the same? Just thought I'd put that out there for those of you who may be interested!

Oh, I love it! Your quilt is turning out fantastic. I think I will make a few more blocks before I start playing with arrangement. I have made 8 so far. I am sort of experimenting with color on this quilt. Here's what I have this week: http://creatinganaturallife.blogspot.com/2011/07/36-patch-quilt-along-week-3.html

I can't wait to make more! Thank you for hosting this quilt-along, Amanda.

So glad I decided to jump in. I love how my blocks are turning out. I have a ton of floral fabric (some that I inherited when my mother passed away) and I have been looking for a good project to use them. I made 6 blocks over the weekend and was a little scared that they would be too busy or "old-fashioned" but they turned out great. Hope to post a picture soon. Thanks so much for all of your encouragement.

I say you should definitely go for the fabric design contest, I would love to see these drawings of yours.If you need more persuading, just look at all that you have achieved with your blog, imagine if you had never given that a go..

Your blocks are looking PERFECT but then I knew they would...you got the knack girl!

Found your site today, and while I may not join the quilt along (so many things going on), I'm going to follow along and see if I can resist...and for how long. Saw the king size quilt (older post) that you rebound, and such a lovely difference. I am currently trying to get motivated to bind my king sized quilt--wish I had your "affection" for binding! You've a lovely web site--thanks for letting me watch!

Your quilt is looking great--so cheery. And I know how beautifully you piece, so I'm sure it's even more impressive close up.

I am so glad you included the two oddball polka dot squares. (I use "oddball" fondly...) I just inherited some quilt blocks from my grandmother, the beginnings of a quilt she was not able to finish. The block I love most has a couple of make-do patches in it. That will make it ever more dear to me.

I love it when I have to sew 2 scrap pieces together to make a bigger piece. I feel like I am really quilting old school. We really have it easy with all the beautiful fabrics available to us, though I am a little jealous of the ladies of yesteryear getting free fabric at with their flour and sugar :)

Wish I could find some time to make a wonderful quilt like yours... I'm completely into paper piecing at the moment but one day I want to make one like that... Already put it on my really really long want-to-do-list... THank you sooooooo much for sharing!!Love Christiane

You really should submit some designs for that fabric contest! What's the worst that could happen? If I were creative in that way, I surely would send in some designs, but I'm not sure anyone would be interested in my stick figures and kindergarten looking flowers! Go for it!

I have 7.5 blocks done so far and I am loving it! I don't think I've ever worked with pastels other than baby quilts but I decided I wanted a cheerful cholor scheme for this one so pastels it is! These go together much quicker than I had imagined and I can easily see another in my future! You do need to enter the contest, I would love to see what you come up with! Good luck!

You are keeping me inspired to keep going. I am only 3 blocks into it, but I am having so much fun picking out fabrics for each block. I have 3 more cut and ready to go. BTW thanks for the helpful info on stitch length. I adjusted mine too and my blocks are looking pretty good. I never thought of this before and I have often struggled to get the blocks to line up properly. And if you design some fabric, I will buy it for sure!!

It is so nice to know that you are feeling better and moving on! I am so happy to see you pumped again! This looks so lovely! I thought about you yesterday at our Monday Quilt Group (the last one for the summer) as we finished our summer project. I think this pattern is really forgiving and a great stash buster as well as this QAL. Please stop by and have a look:

http://coffeebeansdailies.blogspot.com/2011/07/good-day.html

I kept thinking, "gee, I would LOVE to see Amanda Jean's take on this!"

This quilt is so much fun! I have all sorts of fat quarters I've collected, and they have sat in bins for at least a year, some up to a decade. This is definitely a great idea - my sewing machine is in the shop, but I can't wait to get caught up with your quilt-a-long. Thank you so much for the inspiration! - Lydia

Oh yes you certainly should design some fabric especially if your husband thinks so. You really are doing 6 blocks a week!!They are really warm and colorful. I'm only on block 3 and 4. Thanks for inspiring.

In regard to designing fabric, have you ever tried spoonflower? I wish I had the drawing skills, but a friend of mine told me about the shop, and I'm in awe of what you can do with that website. I kind of feel silly posting about spoonflower because I'm pretty sure you would know about it, but just in case - I would definitely snatch up your fabric! I love your color choices!

LOVE the thrifty block. I probably would have put the two different ones on opposite corners because although I'm sure it won't stand out when you're completely done...it would drive me nuts and I would see it every time I looked at the quilt. (Ya know, personal preference.) But that's just me. I saw someone else post that it would be funny to do a smile underneath it, and I would agree...that would be a lot of fun. Someday I will try this quilt...quick and easy it seems to be...and that would be my favorite type of quilt to make. It's gotta be quick and easy...okay...not so much quick as easy. I look forward to seeing next week's addition!

This looks so fun!! I have not been sewing these last weeks, and for some days now my mind is on the victims of the Oslo and Utøya massacre. Maybe I could find some comfort playing with these blocks. Wait and see...Elin.

I got a handy dandy 1/4 inch foot with my Juki TL2000 this last spring and have been using it for all m piecing... wow... what a difference. These blocks are coming together so nice so I dug out my Round & Round and worked on it some more as well! Thanks for the inspiration!

First, you should totally enter the design contest. The worst that could happen is that you lose and then nothing has changed.

Second, I'm glad you have decided to continue blogging. I just found this blog and it is an inspiration.

Third, I have all my fabric for this quilt I just have to get most of washed. I'm a prewasher. But I'm so excited. I thought all quilts had to be difficult to be beautiful but you have proved otherwise. Thanks!

AmandaJean go for the design competition even if you don't win you'll have learned a whole lot about the process and be ready for the next one. You have a great mind and I bet your husband is right!these blocks are just so cute....I wish I could join in but have a few deadlines looming.

Your blocks look fantastic, especially once all together! I was away on vaca, so I haven't been reading blogs, but I want to say in regards to your blue, too post: You are an amazing quilt artist! Your blog was one of the first I found, and I went back an read it from the beginning! Please know that you are an inspiration, and I think your quilts are wonderful ;-)

i am not doing this quilt along... yet! the more i see of your blocks, the more i want to get started. yours are sooo pretty! and about the fabric designs... YES!.. enter your designs. It will be sooo cool if you win!

Just wanted to chime in. I love your blog. I love your tutorials. I think it's so wonderful of you to offer free tutorials for quilts. It enables so many to be able to quilt when they might not have been able to with your help. I do hope you continue because you have helped me and I appreciate it so much. Thank you.

I'd just like to say that I am so glad you are blogging again (it's been quite a while since your hiatus, I know, but I had a baby 10 months ago, and I'm really just now getting around to catching up on all of my blogs.)

I LOVE your quilt alongs (haven't participated, but you make it look so easy, and I already have 3 different rooms planned based on them!)

Also, thanks to you, I started and finished my very first quilt (it's a raged squares quilt, and I love it)! Thanks again for coming back!!

I did comment on this before but the more I look at your "make-do" square the more I want to comment again... I really like your quilt but I think the two little squares in a different color stick out too much in one corner... Can't you put them in different corners so they don't "jump" at you when looking at it? Just my opinion and by no means meant as criticism!!! Thank you again for all your efforts on this blog! It's one of my favorites!!

If your husband thinks you should, you should!! At least try :) Sooo many times my husband has encouraged me in things I didn't think I was capable of, and he's been right (sometimes!). And the times that it hasn't worked out, I've never regretted trying. It's incredibly empowering when the person who knows you best is in your corner. Go for it!!!!

Amanda, it's looking so great! I have been watching others do this with you and wish so much I could be doing it. I just cannot start anything new right now. I love what you're doing, and I love that "make do" block.

You should totally go for it on the fabric designing. You can do it! My SIL told me about it and said I should try, too. I feel chicken, too.

Hi AmandaJeanI just found your blog today and back-read some of your posts.I too, do not know what happened for you to contemplate giving up blogging but I hope you don't. I've gone through all of your tutorials and they're so straightforward and informative.I have seen on every blog I read the blogger get hurtful remarks and they always seem to come from people who just want to stir the pot.Keep your chin up girl!!! I really look forward to future posts!!Tammi :)

Ok, so I've never made blocks like this before, but I took the plunge :) I have now made 13 since yesterday, lol. I need to make 29 more and I'll be ready to assemble. Thanks for having this quilt-a-long. I'm loving the blocks!

HI! i had a juvenile question but anyways here it is; Does it matter or is there a color combination with the 36 patch quilt itself? i just want to add a ton of mis-matchy stuff together??? to use up my stash--ugly bits from early days of collecting...maybe even some random bits of xmas? just a thought please let me knoW!! ps love your blog crazy mom

Your 'thrifty' block reminds me of the early Pennsylvania German piecing tradition of always making one block with one 'wrong' or out of place fabric on purpose; because to strive for perfection was an affront to God.

Let me just say that I LOVE your blog and though I don't blogsurf much, when I do, I love to be inspired by your BEAUTIFUL quilts. I first found you when I was pregnant with my now 19 month baby boy, and I used your tutorials on binding and the ticker tape quilt to make him a quilt. Thank you for your creativity and showing me how to do it! I finished just days before he was born, and it is gorgeous, in my opinion. I haven't quilted any since then, but I hope to get to that sometime soon...I need to finish the other 2 I started! I've never posted to your blog before, but after your last few posts, I figure it's high time that I thank you for giving generously of your time and talents. Here is the post (with pics) I made back when I was making the quilt just in case you're interested: http://wilkersonfam.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-01-21T22%3A50%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=6Thanks again!!!

Amanda, you do such a beautiful job with your blog...your creativity shines through! Please give the fabric designing a try FOR YOU! :-) I love the simplicity of this current QAL and have lots of strips ready to go. I have found through the years that sometimes the shortcuts don't always work as well as I would like. I like your method of breaking up the units. It's the kind of piecing I find very soothing. Thank you for sharing your patterns!!Enjoy what's important to you and hit "delete" for the rest.

Amandajean, I am having SUCH a lovely time with this QAL! I really wasn't sure I wanted to do another 2"square patchwork (I made 2 of your Round and round quilts!). Sometimes I get bored doing the same thing, but this project is pushing me to play with color and tones, and, best of all, use up the Loulouthi scraps I have from a wedding quilt I'm making. Now I don't feel so guilty buying so much fabric, cuz I'm using it all up!

Also, your tips and techniques are challenging me to be more precise, and it is REALLY paying off. I have really square squares! The shorter stitches is brilliant!

I've been quilting for 15 years, but I LOVE learning new things. You really are an inspiration: a model of diligence, imagination, and joy. Thanks for it all.